Sponsored fire walk

Lynda Kenway, PTA Vice-Chair at Ysgol Y Castell in North
Wales (202 pupils) told us about her PTA's exciting fire walking
fundraiser: 'I searched online for an event that would
capture people's imaginations and came across a company called
Survivorbility Ltd which puts on events such as fire walking, glass
walking and bar bending. As fire walking is visually exciting and
goes against everything a person thinks is possible, it seemed
perfect! Recruiting participants was surprisingly easy, although
they all asked the same question, "Will I burn?"! We had 26 people
walk the coals, including the head teacher and the Mayor of
Rhuddlan (our youngest participant was 17). They were asked to
raise a minimum of £75 each - Survivorbility charged £1,500 for
running the event. We advertised locally with posters, on Facebook
and set up a Just Giving page to help collect the money. Once I had
the sponsored walkers in place I then opened up the remaining
places on a pay-to-walk basis, charging £25 per person, which meant
people with no connection to the school contacted me to take part.
On the day, I arrived early to help the fire supervisor and
coordinator set up the fire bed and light the fire. The fire was
then left to reach its optimum temperature before the walkers
arrived. Once they had registered and handed over their sponsorship
forms and monies, the walkers were given a talk to get their minds
focused and took part in some icebreaker activities. After that it
was straight outside to the waiting crowd to walk the fire. A few
people looked a little sick at this point, but everyone walked the
coals and some did it more than once! It is a little hot under
foot, but it proved to be an incredible experience for all
involved, with many feeling like they could conquer the world
afterwards! We held a raffle on the night to maximize profits. In
total we raised over £4,300 (including Gift Aid), which is
incredible. We are using the money to purchase a defibrillator for
our school. Fire walking is a fantastic experience, a mental
challenge and open to anyone over 14 (with parental consent). It
sparks the imagination of the community and I would definitely
recommend it. You'll need to plan ahead a bit, but ask everybody
you know - you'll be surprised who'll say yes.'

NOTE: Ask to see a copy of your fire walking
suppliers' public liability insurance prior to the event and, as
fire walking is considered a hazardous activity, let your PTA
insurance provider know beforehand, too.